1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an action analysis method and system for distinguishing a visitor from an insider by an action of an object (person, animal, or moving object) or for distinguishing a suspicious person.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, expectations on researches concerning a video monitoring system have risen accompanying a rapid increase of crime incidence. As to conventional video monitoring systems, there are many systems in which monitoring camera videos are recorded or a watchman simultaneously monitors a plurality of camera videos.
On the other hand, in the U.S., a research project video surveillance and monitoring (VSAM) of the video monitoring system has been performed using an image understanding technique (Non-Patent Document 1). In this system, as described also in Non-Patent Document 2, a plurality of cameras cooperate with one another to track an invading object detected by a dynamic image understanding technique, and a situation is presented to the watchman in real time.
[Non-Patent Document 1]
VSAM: “Section I, video surveillance and monitoring”, Proc. of the 1998 DARPA Image Understanding Workshop, Vol. 1, pp. 1 to 44 (Nov. 1998).
[Non-Patent Document 2]
Hirotsune Fujiyoshi, Takeo Kanaide, “VSAM: concerning video monitoring system project using image understanding technique”, 2001
When a service desired by a person is presented to the person, it is important to observe a condition of the person. For example, in a guidance service, it is effective to detect user's position information, analyze the action, and estimate a situation of the user.
In the above-described conventional video monitoring system, the action itself of the person, animal, or moving object (hereinafter referred to simply as a “target”) can be monitored, but meaning of the action of the target cannot be grasped. Therefore, for example, to distinguish a visitor from an insider in accordance with the action, or distinguish a suspicious person, judgment of a monitoring person who has a great deal of experience is required, and there has been a problem that the distinction cannot be automatically performed in an unmanned manner.